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No. 620,432. Patented Feb. 28, I899.

W. E. ELLIS.

GRAIN DRIER. (Application filed Nov. 5,1897.) (No Model.) 2 Shaets-$heati.

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. li/ I m: uonms ws'rsns can Pnm'omruo. WASHYNGYON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVYNN E. ELLIS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE PAINE- ELLISGRAIN DRIER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DRIER.

SPECIFICATION for'mfii'g' part Of Letters Patent No. 620,432, datedFebruary 28, 1899.

Application filed November 6, 1897. Serial No. 657,524.. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WYNN E. ELLIs, a citizen of Great Britain, residingat Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grrain-Driers; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will set forth, and pointed out particularly in theclaims.

The objects of the invention are to provide simple and effective meansfor passing the hot-air blast in opposite directions through a body ofwet grain or into said grain from opposite sides in such manner as tofacilitate the operation of drying; to efiect a uniform and even dryingof all parts of said grain exposed to said air-blast, so as to render arehandling of the grain unnecessary when it shall have passed oncethrough the device, and to provide, by a change of the air-blast, forremoving all accumulated dust from the drier, obviating the choking orfilling up of the air-spaces thereof. These objects are attained by theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure1 is an end elevation of myimproved drier, parts being broken away. Fig.2 is a vertical section as on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partialhorizontal section as on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, the heater, exhaust-fan,and one side of the drier appearing in plan and a portion of theheater-casing being broken away.

Fig. 4 is an isometrical view of one of the vertically-movable slidesfor controlling the air-currents. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail insection, showing the passage of the air-currents through the device.Fig. 6 is an elevation of one end of the drier, the outer casing beingremoved and the series of slides being raised in position for cleaningthe air-passages of the drier. v partly in section, showing the parts soarranged as to cause the pressure-ducts to stand horizontally oppositeeach other and the two air-currents passing therefrom to meet in theignates the exterior or inclosing case, which is preferablyquadrilateral in form and may be of any suitable height. Within theexterior case is the drier proper, A, consisting of a closed rectangularframework which is divided at its center transversely by means of anair-blast or pressure chamber-B, communicating with the exhaust-fan Bthrough the connecting-spout B". This chamber B, as shown in Fig. 3, isdivided centrally by a longitudinal V-shaped partition 0, whichseparates the pressure-chamber into two tapering divisions whose areadecreases as said chamber recedes from the point of entrance of theair-blast.

On opposite sides of the casing A are the tapering exhaust-chambers D,which communicate at their rear ends with the open space D, crossing'therear of said casing and communicating with the discharge pipe or stackD.

As will be seen on referring to Fig. 3, the central pressure-chamber Bdivides the drier into two opposed independent sections, which sectionsare supplied with an air-blast from the respective divisions of thepressure-chamber. Crossing transversely the interior of the divisions ofsaid drier, between the divided pressure chamber and the exhaustchambersD, are the alternate grain and air spaces E and F, respectively. Thegrainspaces E are closed at their ends, but are open at the top andprovided at the bottom with a slide a, which is adapted to close theopening a through the bottom of the grainspaces, through which the driedgrain is discharged, said opening being at the lower end of the inclinedstrip 6, located in the bottom Fig. 7 is an enlarged View,

of the grain-spaces to facilitate the passage of the grain therefrom.Located below the openings in the grain-spaces is a-suitable hopper 0 ofsuch capacity as to hold the contents of the drier. The air-spaces F arenot continuous in that they do not extend in an unbroken space from thetop to the bottom, but instead are divided horizontally by a series ofhorizontally-extending dividing strips or floors b, which divide theair-spaces F into a series of independent horizontal air fiues or ductsc, which communicate at opposite ends with the air-blast chamber B andthe exhaust-chamber D.

G designates a series of vertically-movable slides,which are located atthe opposite ends of said air-ducts and are adapted to travel insuitable ways, being confined in place by the transverse retainingstrips d. These slides are provided with a series of apertures e, whichare so spaced as to register with each alternate air-duct, while theblank or solid space a between said apertures is adapted to close theend of each of said alternate air-ducts. These slides are so arranged,as shown in Fig. 1, as to normally close the opposite ends of eachalternate duct, so that one half of said ducts communicate at one endwith the pressure-chamber and the other half communicate at the oppositeend with a the exhaust-chamber, the ducts communicatfrom the air-spacesF are of wire screen H.

or other suitable form of foraminous wall adapted to admit of thepassage of air therethrough, but capable of confining the grain andother material to be dried within the grain-spaces E.

By means of the arrangement of the airducts as above described it willbe seen that the air-spaces are divided vertically into a series ofhorizontal air-fines whose open ends alternately communicate with thepressurechamber and with the exhaust-chamber and that the arrangement issuch as to form horizontal tiers of these air-d ucts which alternatehorizontally and between which are the interposed grain-spaces E,whereby the blast of air is caused to pass alternately from oppositesides through the grain-space from top to bottom, as shown by the arrowsin Figs. 3 and 5. The air-ducts whose open ends communicate with thepressure-chamber receive the airblast which passes across the interposedgrain-spaces on opposite sides and discharges into the opposed air-ductswhose open ends communicate with the exhaust-cham bers,into which theair, laden with the moisture from the wet grain through which it haspassed, is discharged and escapes through the stack or flue D".

In, the practice of drying wet grain by confining it in thin verticallayers or divisions and passing a blast of hot air therethrough from oneside to the other it has been found that the grain upon the sideadjacent to the air-blast becomes unduly dried, while the grain upon theexhaust or opposite side is still too wet for commercial purposes, owingto the fact that the moisture driven out of thegrain first encounteredby the air-current condenses upon the cooler grain on the opposite sideas the air is driven therethrough, whereby the grain upon the dischargeside of the thin division thereof is still laden with moisture when thegrain upon the opposite side shall have been sufficiently dried,resulting in an uneven drying of the grain and often necessitating arehandling thereof to again pass it through the drier, that a moreuniform drying may be attained. In the construction herein shown thenecessity of rehandling is obviated, and at the same time a perfect anduniform drying of the grain is effected by reason of the alternation ofthe hot-air blast, which passes through the grain-spaces from side toside in vertical reciprocal succession. When the grain to be dried isfirst placed in the grain-spaces, it is swollen with the moisturecontained thereby, and therefore occupies more spacethan when partiallyor completely dried. This being the fact, the grain in the process ofdrying gradually settles in the grain-spaces, so that a portion thereof,through which the hot air is passed in one direction, will, uponsettling to the line of a lower tier of fines, receive an air-blasttherethrough from the opposite direction, and so on as it settles or isgradually moved downward through the grain-space said grain is subjectto alternating blasts of hot air, which pass therethrough from oppositesides in reciprocal succession, whereby a most perfect and uniformdrying of the grain is effected, rendering all parts thereof equally dryand obviating the overdrying of any portion, so that when once the grainis passed through the drier it is ready for commercial use withoutrehandling.

When the grain in the process of drying shall have been so reduced inbulk that a point is reached where it will no longer settle, thealternation of the air-blast through any portion of the grain fromopposite sides may still be effected through the medium of the aperturedslides G, which may be adj usted to open the ends of the air-ductspreviously closed and close the ends of those ducts previously openedand cause a reversal of the air-currents through the air-ducts andgrain-spaces, as will be well understood, or said slides may be soarranged as to cause the air-blast ducts to stand horizontally opposite,as shown in Fig. 6, so that the airblasts will enter the grain-spacefrom opposite sides on the same horizontal plane and, meeting in thecenter of said grain-space, discharge into the air-exhaust ducts aboveand below, as clearly shown by the arrows in Fig. 7. Thus it will beseen that the air may be caused to act simultaneously upon the same bodyof grain from opposite sides, driving the moisture therefrom between theopposed air-blasts and drying both sides of the grain with equalfacility. By means of these apertured slides. G the airducts may also beopened at both ends, so that an air-blast may be passed directly throughsaid ducts to remove all accumulated dust.

The walls of the drier rise above the grain and air spaces, forming areceptacle to receive the wet grain, from which it is fed into the openupper ends of the grain-spaces, the upper ends of the air-spaces beingclosed by beveled caps f, which prevent the accumulation of the grainthereon. The wet grain is retained in a suitable charging-bin J abovethe drier, from which it is directed into the grain-spaces by means ofsuitable spouts J.

The air is heated by being drawn through a heating device I, which maybe of any suitable construction and through which the air is drawn bythe fan B, which fan forces the heated air into the pressure-chamber B.

It will be observed that the area of the pressure-chamber is greatest atthe point adjacent the fan, while the area of the exhaustchamber isgreatest at the point remote from the fan, the purpose of which is toequalize as nearly as possible the air-pressure in all the air-spaces ofthe drier. The reduced area of the pressure-chamber remote from the fantends to keep up the air-pressure at said remote point, which conditionthe large area of the exhaust-chamber opposite assists in maintaining byobviating any back pressure, while the reduced area of theexhaust-chamber ofiers some resistance to the passage of the air throughthe drier from the pressurechamber at a point adjacent the fan.

Grain which has been dried preparatory to grinding must be cooled forthe reason that in its heated state it is unfit to be passed to therolls. To effect the cooling of the grain while in the drier, the caseI, inclosing the heater, is provided on opposite sides near the fan withtwo doors K, which are hinged at t to swing inward, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 3, so as to entirely out off the heater from the fan andat the same time provide an opening through the casing I for theentrance of cold air, so that when said doors areswung inward, asdescribed, cold air only is admitted to the fan, which in turn is forcedby the fan into the pressure-chamber and through the grain, enabling thegrain to be cooled While in the drier to normal temperature, from whichit may then be conveyed to the rolls for grinding or to the storage-binsfor shipping.

By placing the pressure-chamber in the center of the drier and, locatingthe alternating grain and air spaces on opposite sides thereof theair-spaces are all brought adjacent to the fan, enabling a more uniformpressure to be attained at all points in the drier, at the same timeforming a compact and convenient device which occupies but acomparatively small area in proportion to its capacity: It is evident,however, instead of placing the pressure-chamber in the center betweenthe opposite divisions containing the grain and air spaces, forming adouble drier, I may construct what I would term a single drier, in whichall of the grain and air spaces will stand in a single row, with thepressure-chamber at one end and the exhaust-chamberat the other, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a grain-drier, the combination with the inclosing case, the drierlocated within said case consisting of two opposed independentdivisions, a central pressurechamber between said divisions, theexhaust-chamber on opposite sides of said divisions, a series ofalternating grain and air spaces crossing said divisions of the driertransversely and separated by a perforated wall, the grain-spaces beingclosed at their ends and open at the top and having a discharge-openingat the bottom, said air-spaces communicating at one end with saidpressure-chamber and at the opposite end with said exhaust-chambers, andmeans for supplying a blast of air to said central pressure-chamber,substantially as set forth.

2. In a grain-drier, the combination with the inclosing case, thepressure-chamber on-one side of said case and the exhaust-chamber on theopposite side thereof, a series of alternating grain and air spacescrossing said case transversely and separated by a perforated ICO wall,said grain-spaces being closed at their ends and provided with adischarge-opening at the bottom, said airspaces being closed at the topand bottom and communicating at their opposite ends with saidpressure-chamber and said exhaust-chamber, said pressurechamber beingtapering in shape and of smaller area remote from the entrance of theair-blast, said exhaust-chamber being also tapering in shape and oflarger area at the discharge end thereof, and a fan or other means forforcing an air-blast into said pressurechamber.

3. In a grain-drier, the combination with the air induct and eductchambers, a series of parallel grain and air spaces arranged alternatelyand having screens or perforated walls between them, the grain-spac-esbeing closed at their ends and open at the top and having adischarge-opening at the bottom, the airspaces consisting of aseries ofhorizontal ducts communicating at opposite ends with the airinduct andair-educt, said air fines or ducts communicating with the grain-spacesthrough said screens or perforated partitions, a series ofvertically-movable slides located at the ends of said air-ducts havingapertures there in which register with each alternate air duct or fineto afford communication between the opposite ends of each alternateair-duet and the air induct and educt, respectively, whereby anair-blast is caused. to cross the grainspaces from side to side inreciprocal succession.

4. In a grain-drier, the combination with a pressure-chamber andexhaust-chamber, a series of alternating grain and air spaces extendingbetween said chambers, said grainspaces being closed at their ends andprovided with a discharge-openin g at the bottom, screens or perforatedwalls separating said grain and air spaces, a series of horizontalstrips dividing said air-spaces intoa series of horizontal air fiues orducts communicating at opposite ends with the pressure-chamber and withthe exhaust-chamber, a series of vertical movable slides closing the endof each vertical series of said air-d ucts, said slides having apertureswhich register with each alternate air-duct, as and for the purpose setforth.

5. In a grain-drier, the combination of an inclosing case, of a seriesof alternating grain and air spaces crossing said case transversely andseparated by perforated partitions, a pressure-chamber and anexhaust-chamber on opposite sides of said case, said air-spaces beingdivided into a series of horizontal airfiues, half of which flues arepressure-fines and communicate with the pressure-chamber, the other halfbeing exhaust-fines which communicate with the exhaust-chamber, saidpressure-fiues being arranged horizontally on each side of thegrain-spaces so that the blasts entering from said pressure-fiues meetin the center of the grain-spaces and exhaust into the exhaust-finesimmediately above and below said pressure-flues.

6. In a grain-drier, the combination of a grain-space, a series ofhorizontal air-flues arranged on opposite sides of said grain-space andcommunicating therewith, said air-fines consisting of pressure-flues andexhaust-fines which alternate vertically, said pressure-fines and saidexhaust-fines on opposite sides of said grain-space being arranged inthe same horizontal plane, a pressure-chamber and an exhaust-chambercommunicating With the opposite ends of said pressure-fines and saidexhaust-fines, respectively, to cause the airblasts to meet in thecenter of "said grainspace from opposite sides and escape into saidexhaust-fines above and below.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature

